


Debts, Hatred, and other benefits of being friends with Charles Vane

by enthugger



Category: Black Sails
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Gen, Jack has a lot of feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-08 01:42:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11636322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enthugger/pseuds/enthugger
Summary: Jack hates Charles Vane. At least, he’s pretty sure that he does because Charles Vane can be directly blamed for every bad thing that’s ever happened to him.





	Debts, Hatred, and other benefits of being friends with Charles Vane

Jack hates Charles Vane. At least, he’s pretty sure that he does because Charles Vane can be directly blamed for every bad thing that’s ever happened to him. Then again, Anne claims to hate almost everyone she meets, but manages to care more deeply about people than anyone Jack has ever met.

Jack hates how Charles has saved his life more times than he can count. 

He hates how Charles went from ignoring him, just another lost man on the deck of the Ranger to clean up after his messes. To a strange combination of annoyance and amusement, when he realized just how out of place Jack was in all this: someone who could use his brain better than his sword, someone who mended every tear in his coat with perfect rows of careful stitches. To punching the wall in Jack’s cabin so hard that he broke fingers, slipping down beside his bunk in an opium-clouded haze, whispering Eleanor’s name like a curse, Jack watching helplessly as he tried to put himself back together. 

He hates how Charles sees right through every lie he tries to tell. 

“Of course we didn’t miss you! Everything was going just fine before you waltzed in, returned from the dead-” 

Charles’ hand squeezes his shoulder, surprisingly warm. “Shut up, Jack.” 

He hates how he has to drag Charles away from all his bad decisions, away from fights, arguments, women. And dragging Charles away usually means dragging him down, which usually means that Jack gets punched at least once. 

He hates how Charles has saved his life more times than he can count. Well, twice. 

The second time, Charles pulls him out of a carriage, hands around his back, steadying him, his voice loud in Jack’s ear as he’s handed over to Anne. The second time, Charles tells him to go, turns to charge headlong into- well, Jack hates him. 

The first time is during a battle that Jack didn’t mean to be a part of. It’s just that something went wrong with the prize they were taking, and somehow he ends up on the other ship with a gash in his side. And it’s really not that bad, but Anne is hauling him up, and then forcing him down again, he feels hard wood against his back and Anne sticks his hand against his own side, ignoring his hiss in pain. “Don’t bleed out, I’ll be back.” She kisses him, so quickly Jack almost doesn’t notice, and then he’s alone. The world feels fuzzy, distorted and slow like it’s happening just outside his reach. He lifts his hand from his side and it comes away sticky with his own blood. He feels his breath start to quicken, clenches his fingers into bloody fists and starts to push himself up, hoping to find Anne, or maybe run like a coward, really anything but just sit here. 

But before he can do anything but just sit, he is slammed backwards, his head cracking painfully against the back of the deck. “What the fuck happened?” Charles’ voice is too loud and practically in his ear, hands are jerking his own away from his side and Jack can’t muster the effort to answer, or say anything other than “Ow.” The hands still over the gash, not gentle, but as close to gentle as Charles ever gets. He presses softly against the wound, holding it closed, and his other hand comes up to grip the back of Jack’s neck. 

Charles shakes him, and Jack feels like a cat held by the scruff of his neck. “Fucking look at me, Jack.” He blinks. Charles is crouched in front of him, splattered in blood that probably isn’t his own, his head tipped forward to be heard over the noise around them. Jack is still breathing too fast, his hands still clenched at his sides and Charles’ hand is warm over the burn of the wound, literally holding him together.  
And maybe it’s not exactly saving his life, but Charles doesn’t say anything when Jack tips his head forward to rest his forehead against Vane’s shoulder. He doesn’t say anything as Jack calms down enough to feel less like he’s going to collapse and die, and more lightheaded from blood loss and somewhat embarrassed for believing that he might die from this in the first place. He stays there until Anne gets back and mutters something threatening to him. And when he rolls his eyes and stands up without a word, Jack feels the loss of him like a shiver down his spine. 

Jack hates how Charles Vane has saved him so many times that it feels like debt, and let enough debts go that it feels like friendship. And Jack isn't sure what to do with that.

**Author's Note:**

> also on [tumblr](https://likesolastalgia.tumblr.com/post/163522361502/debts-hatred-and-other-benefits-of-being-friends)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Indebted (The Careful Stitches Remix)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12052719) by [mapped](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mapped/pseuds/mapped)




End file.
